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Gulf Power: Not ‘Grabbing Up Land’, But Providing For The Future With North Escambia Facility
March 3, 2010
The following letter to the editor was submitted to NorthEscambia.com by Bentina Terry, vice president of External Affairs and Corporate Services for Gulf Power Company. It is in response to a Sunday article in the Pensacola News Journal.
A recent Pensacola News Journal front page article on Gulf Power possibly building a power generation facility in Escambia County (“Gulf Power grabbing up land”) excluded information and unfairly represented a process we hope will bring new jobs and new tax revenues to the county.
The headline, “Gulf Power grabbing up land,” is not an accurate portrayal of the facts. Gulf Power has been purchasing property in the McDavid area for almost two years. In fact, there have been several articles in other publications over the last two years about our property purchases in that area and we have answered questions that have been posed to us on this topic during this same time period. There is no “land-grab.”
The article also tried to imply that we overpaid for certain parcels. The writer referred to a two-acre parcel “with brush and scrub pines” that we purchased for $175,000. What the writer did not mention was there was a home, private well, fencing and large workshop on these two acres. We did not buy a vacant lot – we bought an improved homestead well worth the price paid.
Also puzzling was – in the same edition of the newspaper – the writer’s column encouraged the private sector to “step(s) up a, put(s) its shoulder to the wheel” and take responsibility for improving Florida’s economy.
A new power generating facility for Escambia County would do exactly that. Unfortunately the News Journal has negatively portrayed a progressive undertaking that means jobs and economic development for this area. In this case, not only were the facts imprecise, the tone of the article could discourage other businesses from investing in our future.
Comments
4 Responses to “Gulf Power: Not ‘Grabbing Up Land’, But Providing For The Future With North Escambia Facility”
The “representative” for gulf power is named Mr. Schofield. He says a alot of things. He said he was an independent baptist but believes in evolution, go figure… He told us that the offer gulf power gave us was basically all they would pay because they didn’t really need our property, that it was on the edge of their boundry. I thank the good LORD that they are buying me out, I won’t have to wake up and look outside my backdoor and instead of seeing the sunrise I would see the nuclear reactor stacks… THANK YOU LORD!
Gulf Power is grabbing up land. They have sent their representative to various land owners to encourage them to sell. The representative told my dad that if he didn’t sell now, that he would get ‘nothing’ for his property with the eminant domain threat. He has stated that there was something special about the bedrock in the area that was needed for the construction of the plant. He has stated that there was something special about the creek there. I wish my dad had recorded the conversation. I am sure the representative will deny these allegations, but I believe my Dad and the manager of the campground as well as my Uncle. They plan on evicting the entire community there. My family has deep roots there. My great grandfather cleared the land where the RLDS campgrounds lake sits, and has sat since 1968. The campground is a very special place that is host to special needs kids, the red cross and many local churches such as Olive Baptist. This is a tragedy. They should buy the paper company land that is for sell, or set up on the Escambia River. They should not evict the community they pretend to represent. Make no mistake; gulf power serves gulf power’s interest and no other.
Thank you for pointing out Pensacola News Journal’s past and present role in discouraging businesses from investing in this county’s future. PNJ needs to realize the first place those interested in investing and relocating businesses to Escambia County, Florida is what the news and newspaper has to offer. Frankly, not much, its unfortunate PNJ reflects a backwater mentality and superficial newspaper content and this will only perpetuate the challenge to attract businesses that participate on a national and global level, am I wrong?
PNJ is exactly a “quality” publication.